Federal Allies

Foreshadowing events in the U.S. Civil War, blacks in the Territory were forging strong ties to the Army as they sought its protection. Officers, in turn, gained respect for the refugees. Under adverse conditions, they even became friends. Company commanders led Sunday school classes for Black Seminoles, taught them to read (which was considered a crime in most southern states), and vigorously defended their freedom in letters and petitions to the federal government.